So near and yet so far. It always amazes me that life in France is so very different.

Last Saturday my son and I left here at just after 8am, ate lunch on the Dover to Calais ferry and arrived in the afternoon. At 4pm we were sitting outside of an hotel in the sunshine, Rowan with his beer and me with a bottle of my favourite wine. Why do I always order a bottle? I know that I’ll enjoy it and it comes into the hotel to be finished at dinner. It’s a rosé called “Eric Tabarly”. He has his own vineyard.

We think that black cats bring good luck but not so in France. If our voice feels husky we say “I’ve got a frog in my throat”. The French say, it’s a cat in their mouth. If someone sneezes we often say “bless you” in France it’s “to your wishes”.

What did I eat for my main course last Monday September 25th - turkey and sprouts. We soon realised that this was featuring on the menus of other restaurants as it was exactly three months to Christmas Day!

Hospitals in France are so different from ours. I’ve had first hand experience many times. I’ve never had a choice of wine with my hospital meals here for example. As for dentists, I prefer mine here in Bristol. Having a filling there is not something I wish to repeat.

Schools too are interestingly different, not just to ours, but even in the same village. Private ones are attached to the Roman Catholic Church and the public ones are state schools. I’ve taught in both, so will explain another time. For now, enjoy November.